Amber Collins & Branch House Pavilion set to release “Our Great Virginia” on April 19th

April 8th 2016–

Amber Collins & Branch House Pavilion announce that April 19th will be the digital release date of their new single, “Our Great Virginia” which is now Virginia’s official Traditional state song. This status was proposed in House Bill 1427, sponsored by House Speaker Bill Howell and in Senate Bill 1128, introduced by Sen. Charles Colgan, D-Manassas. Governor Terry McAuliffe then signed the bills into law.

Virginia has been without an official state song for nearly two decades. The quest to rectify that lack was spearheaded by retired alumni and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of history at Virginia Tech, Dr. James “Bud” Robertson. Dr. Robertson launched his own “one-man crusade” to pair the lovely melody of “Oh Shenandoah” – a classic American folksong that is now in the public domain — with new lyrics written by Mike Greenly and arranged by composer-conductor, Jim Papoulis.

The new release was recorded at Blue Tin Roof Studios and engineered by Scott Patrick who also plays guitar on the song. It will be available in two versions: bluegrass up-tempo and anthemic ballad to be released on April 19th. Both formats will be available for purchase from the band website as well as via itunes, amazon, and other popular digital download sites.

Amber Collins & Branch House Pavilion will be performing at several notable Virginia bluegrass festivals including the 6th Annual Chantilly Farms Bluegrass Festival in Floyd, Virginia and HoustonFest, a music festival to honor the memory of Galax, Virginia native, Houston Caldwell and his dedication to bluegrass music and to community service. In the spirit of HoustonFest, Amber and band will debut her performance of Virginia’s new anthem on Saturday evening, June 11, 2016. The performance will be introduced by Kylene Barker McNeill, who is originally from Galax and who made history in 1979 as the first “Miss Virginia” to become “Miss America.”